Ferdinand horn



(No Model.)

F. HORN. STAMP GANOELING DEVICE.

No. 409,640. Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

INVENTOR:

BY 6AM BJMW ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERDINAND HORN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO PHILIP A. EFFLER AND GEORGE LANG, OF SAME PLACE.

STAMP-CANCELING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,640, dated August 20, 1889.

Application filed March 22, 1889.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND IloRN, a citizen of the United States, residing at O0- lu'mbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp-Canceling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to stamp-cancelers and postmarking devices, and its primary object is the construction of a canceler which will mutilate postage-stamps to such an extent as to effectually prevent their again being used for the transmission of mail, and which at the same time will not mutilate the envelope or its inclosed letter.

A further object of my invention is to construct a device to be operated by the hand, which will simultaneously effect the thorough cancellation of the postage-stamp and the printing of the date of mailing and name of the post-office on the envelope, package, or other matter.

In the construction of my invention a number of further objects were had in view, which further objects will fully appear hereinafter.

My invention consists in certain peculiarities in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, substantially as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1 is a front plan of my improved stamp-canceler and dating device and shows the relative position of said parts. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same with the handle in section to disclose the parts located therein. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of my improved device, the type in the dating-stamp being removed. Fig. 4 is a detail front view of a rod, the lower end of which is formed to receive the canceling moans. Fig. 5 is a detail plan view of one of my rasping or mutilating wheels for canceling the stamp. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of aform of ink-pad for use with the stamp-canceler.

The same letters of reference are used to designate the same parts in the several figures.

A designates the handle of my improved serial No. 804,305. (No model.)

device, having the recess B therein, into which projects the upper portion of a rod 0. The lower end of this rod 0 is enlarged and bifurcated, and within such bifurcated portion is located the rasping-wheels E, which serve to deface or mutilate the postage-stamp. These 5 5 rasping-wheels E are mounted side by side on a suitable shaft, as h, and their teeth respectively project in opposite directions.

F designates a ring secured to the flanges 0, formed on the lowermost extremity of the rod 0, and having an opening f, which when said ring is secured in place will register with the opening formed by the bifurcation of said rod, and through this opening the teeth of the rasping-wheels E project a short distance. Each of these rasping-wheels E is connected with the handle A by a pitman G, the upper end of which is pivoted within a slot 71, formed in the end of a projection H, depending from the said handle, and the opposite end of which is secured to said wheel at one of the points of perforations 6 thereof.

On reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the pitmen G are located on opposite sides of the rod 0, in direct vertical alignment with the adjacent or inner surfaces of the raspingwheels E, and in order to bring their lower ends into position to be secured to the outer surfaces of said wheels they are each formed near their upper extremities with a bend, as shown at 9. Obviously, the bend of one of said pitmen G will be in a direction the reverse of that of the other. These pitmen G are respectively secured to the wheels E at opposite sides thereof; or, in other words, one of said pitmen is seen as secured to the outer surface of one of said wheels at the right-hand side of the shaft 1), and the other to the outer surface of the other wheel at the left-hand side of said shaft, when both of said wheels 0 are viewed from the same side, as shown in Fig. 2. This position of the pitmen causes the same to turn the rasping-wheels in opposite directions to more effectually cancel the postage-stamp.

The operation of the above-described device in canceling postage-stamps is as follows:

The letter, package, or other mail-matter being located in position upon a suitable table or support and the handle of the canceler grasped by the operator, the latter is brought into contact with the postage-stamp with sufficient force to cause said handle to lower, which obviously lowers the pitmen, causing the same to impart motion to the raspingwheels E, which make a partial revolution, thus canceling the postage-stamp. It has been demonstrated by practical experience that these wheels E simply rasp or remove a portion of the upper surface or face of the postage-stamp, instead of puncturing the same and mutilating the envelope and the inclosed letter or other mail matter. The advantages of this will be readily recognized and appreciated by those persons familiar with this class of invention.

Vithin the hollowed-out portion B of the handle A, and encircling the upper end of the rod 0, is a coiled spring D, having its abut-- ments against the projections d d. This spring, by reasonflof its resiliency, will serve to automatically return the handle, the pitmen, and 2 5 the rasping-wheels to their original positions after each downstroke of the former.

It will be observed, on reference to Fig. 5, that each of the rasping-wheels has a series of perforations 6 near its outer periphery, and through any one of these perforations the screws 6, or other suitable means serving to secure the pitman and wheel together, pass. Great importance is attached to having a series of these teeth, as then, in the event of one set of teeth of the rasping-wheel becoming worn from constant use or broken, the said wheel can be turned and the pitman secured thereto at another of said perforations, thus bringing a new set of teeth into position for use.

The lower end of thehandle A is recessed and is encircled by a ring or collar I, which fits within said recess. This ring or collar I is formed with a lateral projection K, having a bore 70 in its extremity. Extending through this bore la is the upper end of a rod L, the lower end of which is enlarged and formed with a recess for the reception of the means serving to print the name of the post-offioe and the date of mailing on the envelope or other mail-matter. This printing means may be any of the various kinds nowin use, and as such means form no part of my present invention and are familiar to those persons acquainted with this class of devices it is deemed unnecessary to herein enter into a particular description of them.

The end of the rod L located above the top of the projection K is screw-threaded, and receives a nut Z, whereby said rod will be removably secured in position. This rod L is in length shorter than that of the exposed portion of the rod C, and therefore the type which it carries will be normally located above the top of the table or support or the bottom F of the canceling means- Such shortage is equal to the length of the stroke of the handle A. It will now be seen that simultaneously with the cancellation of the postage-stamp in the manner and by the means above set forth the type carried by the rod L will come into contact with and make their proper imprint on the envelope or package.

M designates an ink-pad having a handle or knob N projecting upwardly from its top. This ink-pad consists of an interior portion, which may be made of wood, rubber, or other suitable material, having a covering of per- Vious material-such as wool, cloth, or feltand which is saturated with the ink, and it is made in the form of a circle. This form of ink-pad will prevent the liability of the postage-stamp-canceling means coming in contact with the ink, which, should it happen, would cause said means to clog up.. To this end the top surface of the ink-pad surrounding the knob N is precisely the same width as that of the lowermost extremity of the rod L of the printing means, so that inasmuch as the said printing means will occupy the entire space between the knob and rim or outer edge of the ink-supply the canceling means will obviously project over and beyond such rim or outer edge. The knob Nis, as shown, made rounding at its top, and it therefore serves not only as a handle for the ink-pad, but also as a means serving to guide the printing device into proper position on the ink-pad when it is caused to strike said knob at a point other than its side, or when it strikes it at an angle instead of in a true vertical line.

Having now described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, and what I therefore claim, 1s-

1. In a stamp-canceler, avertically-movable hollow handle, a coil-spring therein, and a bifurcated rod, the upper end of which projects into said handle and is encircled by said spring, in combination with rasping-wheels mounted on a suitable shaft within said bifurcated rod, and pitmen secured to said rasping-wheels and connecting them with said handle.

2. In a stamp-canceler, a vertically-movable hollow handle and a bifurcated rod, the upper end of which projects into the cavity of said handle, in combination with raspingwheels mounted on a suitable shaft within said bifurcated rod, and pitmen secured to the outer surfaces of said wheels on opposite sides of the shaft thereof and connecting said wheels with said handle, all substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a stamp-canceler, the combination of a handle having a recess, a rod having one end projecting loosely into said handle-recess and the other end provided with bifurcations, a ring-plate having an opening f and secured to the extremity of said bifurcations, two rasping-wheels between the said bifurcations IIO and mounted on a shaft with the rasping-rims In testimony whereof I affix my signature in projecting through the ring-plate opening, the presence of two Witnesses.

and each Wheel provided with a series of perforations e, and two pitman-rods G, pivoted FERDINAND HORN to the hand1e,and each secured to a different Vitnesses: Wheel by a screw 6', entered in one of said JOHN M. PUGH, perforations. WVM. S. DRESBACK. 

